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Saturday, April 7, 2012

13 Months!

I debated whether or not to continue the monthly check-ins or to just blog as fun occasions and milestones came up... Well, a whole month has passed with many notable happenings (at least in my opinion) and I have yet to blog about any of them. So, I have decided that the monthly check-ins will continue. I wouldn't want any little memories to slip away!

We had your 1 year check up the Monday after your birthday.You weighed in at 22.5 pounds (46%ile), 31.5 inches long (91%ile), and your head circumference was 18.25 inches (50%ile). The doctor said you are a very healthy little guy (she did hear your heart murmur again, but said it was harmless). You had to get two shots, as well as a finger prick, and you didn't even cry! The nurse couldn't believe how brave you were. She said she wished all babies were as easy as you...

You may have been easy at your doctor appointment, but this month has been total chaos. I felt like I had no idea what I was doing! To begin with, your sleep completely derailed. Most mornings you were up and ready to start your day between 4 and 5am (after several wake ups throughout the night). You also would rarely nap for more than 30 minutes at a time. This led to a very sleep deprived family (reminiscent of the first two months of your life). On our way home from a play date one day, during this time, you were so over tired that you fell asleep in your car seat. You were still sleeping when we got home. I didn't want you to lose a moments rest, so I got into the seat next to you. We hung out in the garage for about 30 minutes before you started to stir. When you woke up you were in the best mood I had seen you in for a while...

Are you kidding me with that little smile and those big brown eyes!

Sleep issues weren't our only obstacle this month. To spice things up even more, you decided that mommy and daddy were no longer allowed to spoon feed you. This means that we went from a few finger foods here and there to all finger foods in the matter of a week!

We also had to wean you from 4 bottles of formula a day to 3 sippy cups of whole milk. (Your previous schedule of eating at 6, 10, 2, and 6 was out the door). Thankfully, you had figured out the straw cups already so it wasn't hard to wean you from the bottle. (I'll admit that I still feed you at least one bottle a day, though, just to fulfill my cuddle quota). You also didn't really seem to notice the difference between milk and formula- phew! The challenge has been figuring out a new eating/sleeping "schedule".

After struggling with this all month, something magical happened- your second bottom molar broke through (which brings the total to 10 teeth). Viola! A new schedule just kind of fell into place. I also started playing white noise during your naps and at night. Since then, most of your naps have been longer than an hour and you're back to sleeping about 11 hours at night. I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or not, but I feel pretty stupid for not trying it earlier (hello, white noise=baby sleep 101). You have a bad cold and fluid in your ears at the moment, so sleep has been a bit off again, but here is what our new schedule looks like (on a good day):

6:45am: wake-up

7am: milk (6-8oz)

8am: breakfast

9am: nap

11:30am: lunch, milk (6-8oz)

1:30pm: nap

3pm: snack

6pm: dinner

6:30: bath, pjs

7pm: milk (6-8oz)

7:30pm: bed

In between all of that eating and sleeping you are on the move- exploring every nook and cranny in our house or at the park or anywhere else we might be. You continue to take a few independent steps here and there, but are not quite walking yet.

This constant "cruising" has led to an endless array of bumps and bruises (as well as holes in the knees of several pairs of your pants). Curiosity and clumsiness are not a good combination. Just a couple days after you turned one, you got your first black eye. (The scab on your chin is from a previous run in with the floor).

Dad and I went out for dinner to celebrate your grandma Hacker's birthday and Auntie Nicole and Tim babysat you. Apparently, you were showing off your climbing skills and slipped on the baby gate (of all things) and bumped your eye. They felt so bad, even though we assured them that it was NOT their fault. Your newest is a scrape on the corner of your mouth that you got from falling on the coffee table (maybe you shouldn't have pulled the cushions off). Just recently, you learned how to pull yourself up onto furniture. You especially like climbing onto the little rocking chair in your play room and riding it like a surf board. This is the attitude you give me when I tell you no.

I know, I know, I'm the "fun police" (those are dad's words), but I would really like to prevent any broken bones. I'm all about safe fun- like rides on the big rocking chair in your bedroom.

Our warm winter has turned into an early spring. In fact, it was 80 degrees on March 17 (the earliest 80 degree day on record)!! We spent the afternoon at grandma and grandpa White's and brought you to the park that I used to go to as a child. We called it the Elephant Park because back then there was a giant elephant slide. The park has been updated since, but it was still fun (and a little strange) to watch you play there.

On another very warm March day, we walked around Gold Medal Park and St. Anthony Main in Minneapolis. You loved crawling in the grass and even seemed to enjoy our patio refreshments afterwards.

We had another little reunion with the girls from our New Mamas class to celebrate your first birthdays!! It's incredible how much you have all changed! (It's also much more difficult to get a group shot because none of you like to sit still for long).

May 24, 2011

March 11, 2012

Dad and I are constantly trying to find ways to make you laugh because nothing is ever funny to you twice. The other night, just before bed, dad hit comedy gold. I'm not quite sure where he got the idea to shoot blocks out of his mouth, but you found it to be quite hilarious (or you were just deliriously tired)...

This month has definitely had some challenging moments, but it's moments like those that make it all worth it.

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About Me

Welcome! I am a wife, full-time stay at home mom, and part-time photographer (check out my photography website at http://ericaephotography.com/).
After traversing through the road of unexplained infertility for several agonizing years, we hit the jackpot! Our first little miracle was born in March of 2011 and we just welcomed our second miracle in July of 2014. This blog will chronicle our lives as the next chapters unfold...